


Hit me with your best (one) shot

by cellardoors_and_petrichor



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Domestic Fluff, Drabble, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Humor, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2015-11-13
Packaged: 2018-03-09 03:19:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 13,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3234338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cellardoors_and_petrichor/pseuds/cellardoors_and_petrichor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My own collection of one shots. The stories range from General to Mature ratings and they are all pretty light (i.e. some to no angst).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cutest Couple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine your OTP being voted cutest couple in their high school yearbook.

If Tommy weren’t in grave danger, he would find this situation hilarious. Actually, he is in grave danger and it’s still hilarious. Which is why he is currently running through the halls of his high school.

“THOMAS MERLYN. YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT THIS SECOND.” He hears Felicity yell from two halls away. He’s watching over his back, which is how he ends up almost literally running into his other best friend. Oliver pulls on his arm as he tries to run by, brow furrowed in confusion. 

“Tommy, why are you running away from Felicity?”

Tommy opens to the yearbook page with a proud grin and an eyebrow waggle. The blood drains from Oliver’s face. 

“Please tell me you didn’t do this.” Oliver pleads as he slides his eyes close with a sigh.

Tommy most certainly did do this. Well, he slept with the yearbook editor-in-chief who he charmed into doing this. Even facing certain death for his crimes, Tommy can die a happy man.

This plan was a Hail Mary of sorts. Once he had found out his two best friends were essentially in love with each other, he had made it a mission to get them together before the end of senior year. That pledge was made 4 years ago and he has gone through countless plans since. So, even if they weren’t going to recognize it, Tommy made damn sure that it would be marked for posterity. It’ll make a great best man’s speech, right?

In the midst of boys’ encounter, Felicity finally catches up to him. Her heels clacking angrily against the linoleum floor as she waves the yearbook around with one hand. She uses the free one to backhand him, hard, against his chest. 

“Hey!” Tommy says indignantly. 

“You do not get to ‘hey’ me Merlyn.” She starts, her tunnel vision clearly failing to acknowledge Oliver’s presence. “What the hell did you even think you were doing? He’s going to freak! Evidence of being tethered to me, even in a fake relationship, for the rest of eternity is definitely not at the top of Oliver’s wish list. If my friendship with Oliver goes down over this little stunt I swear to…Oh. Hi Oliver.”

Oliver, who has been staring at Felicity the entire time, lets go of his friend’s arm and pushes him away without a second glance. There’s no way Tommy’s leaving during the best part. 

Oliver’s looking at Felicity in amusement, the tiniest of smirks on his face. He seems almost, predatory. Felicity gulps before he speaks. “You know, Felicity. I wouldn’t mind being tethered to you. The going down part doesn’t sound so bad either.” He pulls her in for a kiss as the yearbook falls to the floor, offending page face up.

‘Cutest Couple: Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak’


	2. AutoCorrect

Oliver is in a board meeting that he has unilaterally decided to be the world record holder for “the most mind numbing and completely unnecessary waste of my life”. He looks at his watch again and internally groans to find that it has only been 2 minutes since he last checked the time.

Is it possible to die from boredom?

He had had to send Felicity home earlier this afternoon for many reasons. She had foregone breakfast, claiming she didn’t have an appetite; then, he saw her pop at least four Tylenol to deal with her obvious massive headache; and finally, she had been wearing her heavy coat all morning, even after Oliver had the room temperature increased. So, Oliver gave strict orders to the driver that she was to be driven straight to Starling General before he gently shoved her into the town car.

The selfish part of him still wishes she were here though. She's the only person who makes these meetings bearable. It's the vibrancy she seems to naturally exude that keeps him sane. It's the colorful clothes, vibrant nail polish, and most importantly, that fuchsia lipstick that could bring any man to his knees.

Her effervescent personality is like a breath of fresh air. All in all, Felicity just makes him a happier person. It’s one of the many reasons he loves her.

Wait. He loves her?

His phone, surreptitiously hidden on his thigh under the table, buzzes.

 -

 **FS:** So I went to the doc. He said I have strep throat and prescribed some penetration.

 

_"Well this board meeting just got interesting", Oliver thinks before he replies._

**OQ:** I can be there in 15 minutes ;) 

 

 **FS:** OH MY GOD. I meant he prescribed penicillin.

 **FS:** That wasn’t meant to be a come on. Not that you aren't someone I wouldn't come onto. I just meant that we have a completely platonic relationship that involves no come ons.

 

_He tries not to think about explicitly sexual images involving him and her and come - he fails._

**OQ:**  I would prefer if you stopped using the phrase ‘come on’.

 

 **FS:**  Sorry.

 **FS:** I’m glad autocorrect is adding to my repertoire of awkwardness.

 **FS:** Can we just both delete this conversation and pretend like it never happened?

 

 **OQ:** I want to strip you naked, throw you on my bed and fuck you until you leave scratches on my back, and the sheets are soaked.

 **OQ:**  *Sure… I meant sure. Ugh damn autocorrect.

 

 **FS:**  Oh come on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some of the dialogue from tumblr but I don't remember the actual sources. Oops.


	3. Drawing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Hong Kong but before Starling City, Oliver learns something new.

His five years spent away from home were not all bad. If all of his experiences were a canvas, it would not doubt be drenched in tragedy but there were people, good people who saw him through his journey. And one of those people was Aleksei Zolnerowich.

Hong Kong was not the last place Amanda Waller sent Oliver. In fact, before long, she sent him to Belarus. In many ways, Aleksei played the same role as Maseo had in Hong Kong; he was a mentor who taught Oliver all sorts of new things.

Aleksei taught him how to speak Russian (a skill that became extremely useful in later years when he became a member of the Solntsevskaya Bratva). He also taught him how to fight through the Russian martial art of Система - Systema, literally "The System".

Most importantly though, Aleksei taught him how to draw.

-

Oliver was cold and tired and sick of trying to chase down The League of Assassins. All he wanted was a few shots of vodka and his bed. He was making his way back to Aleksei’s home (his home would always be Starling City no matter how far away he was) when he found his mentor outside, overlooking the now frozen over lake. Upon further examination, he realized that Aleksei was drawing.

It was almost comical that a man who knew how to kill you with just the press of a few pressure points used those same hands to create works of art. And impressive works of art at that.

‘You’re staring,’ Aleksei commented without looking away from his work.

‘I didn’t realize you knew how to draw,’ Oliver replied as he took a seat next to his friend on the bench.

‘A man once said, “I prefer drawing to talking. Drawing is faster, and leaves less room for lies.” I happen to agree.’

Aleksei was a man of few words. He was succinct and to the point in each of their interactions. The conciseness of his speech should have felt cold but Oliver found he quite enjoyed it.

‘You should learn how to draw,’ Aleksei said after a few moments of silence. ‘The precision will help you fight.’

And so Oliver learned how to draw. It did help with his fine motor skills, but it also provided a form of catharsis that a bow and arrow couldn’t.

-

Oliver tended to rely on his bow to solve most of his problems, but there were so many problems – so many people, that he couldn’t and wouldn’t use it on. While he could use his aggression to work out his problems with Roy and Digg through sparring, there was still one person who set him on edge.

Felicity Smoak.

He didn’t know what to do with her. More often than not, once he started to think about her, he couldn’t stop. He loved her, he knew that he did, but he didn’t know how to keep those feelings contained. She was delicate and light, but so strong. She reminded him, for all intents and purposes, of drawing.

So he began sketching her sometimes. Especially when he was feeling too much towards her and about her, he would pick up a pencil and get lost in her body. He would use his pencil to trace that which his hands couldn't. He memorized the expanses of soft skin to the extent that even when he was alone, he could draw her and find the smallest bit of peace.

He let himself have that small piece of her.

-

‘Oliver?’ Felicity asks from the back of the foundry.

‘Yes, Felicity?’ he replies without looking up from his ministrations.

‘I didn’t realize you could draw.’

He raises his head sharply with wide eyes, glad that she couldn’t see him from where she was standing. ‘What makes you think I can?’ He responds with a neutral tone yet cringing expression.

Felicity rounds the corner and walks to him while holding out his drawing book. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realize what it was. I only saw the first page but it’s beautiful. Where was it?’

She asks him lightly, while her eyes let him know it's okay if he doesn't want to say anything. He looks at her for a moment, contemplating what to do. Should he share that part of his life with her? Could he? He looks away from her before he says, ‘Belarus.’

‘I’d love it if you showed me more of your drawings sometime. You know, without me invading your privacy.’

He’s sure almost everyone else would have flipped through every page by now. But that's the heart of who she is, isn't it? That integrity that makes her so _Felicity_. And in that moment he decides he wants to share them with her. He wants to share everything with her. So he flips to his favorite drawing of Felicity using his thumbs, and he pauses, book still closed. He watches her intently as he opens to the page.

She looks between the sketch and him in amazement, ’Oliver this is beautiful.’ She runs her fingers lightly across the page.

‘I didn’t do the subject justice,’ He says with a small smile.

There's a heavy pause in the air, before Felicity playfully says, ‘So Oliver, I guess I have one question.'

‘And what would that be?’

‘Draw me like one of your French girls?’ 

The insinuation is not lost on Oliver as he laughs out loud and takes the book before pulling her in for a kiss.


	4. Summer time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity fight in bed.

During the summers, Oliver works as a teenage camp counselor. Most of the same people return every year, and it is nice to catch up with them. Last summer however, there was a new girl. Felicity. The two of them quickly became close friends. They would spend the large majority of their free time exploring the grounds and just talking. Felicity particularly liked the part of the lake’s shore hidden by trees.

All the veteran counselors forced Oliver and Felicity to bunk together this year, frustrated by the back and forth tracks they would create between cabins just to see each other. So this summer they’re sharing a room mostly because no one else can put up with them. They aren't complaining; it is convenient for them.

☼

“C’mon Felicity, please let me be under you.” Oliver pleads with her in the middle of the night. He's sweating and shirtless.

“But being on top isn’t comfortable.” Felicity pouts. Oliver is such a sucker for that pout.

“Then maybe we can switch. That way at least one of us is happy at a time.” Oliver supplies. 

“What if there's a way we both can be happy at the same time?” Felicity asks, silently offering.

“Are you suggesting we do this laying together sideways on the bed?” Oliver asks carefully and Felicity nods. He lets out a sigh. “You don’t want to be on top, but you’ll do this. You know you’ll be hot either way. But, I guess we can try it.”

Oliver tries to lie down next to Felicity. He's about ready to growl at this point. “I’m too big. I can't fit and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re not going to hurt me, Oliver. I’m fine.” Felicity reassures him.

Oliver huffs before he supplies another suggestion, “How about we pull down both mattresses and sleep on the floor?”

“That’s a perfect idea.”

☼ 

As the two lay on the floor, looking at the mattress-less bunk bed, Felicity whispers one last thing, “The fight over the bunk bed arrangement was stupid.”

Oliver smiles and replies, “Yeah. It was.”

She bids him goodnight, and he does the same to her. Felicity falls asleep quickly while Oliver takes longer to relax. He wonders what would happen if he just made a move. If he told her how he felt about her. Would it ruin their friendship? Or would he finally get the chance to learn what it's like to kiss her and hold her hand?

For now, he will just have to wait and see.


	5. Felicity and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This has been a very bad week and you just grabbed the last box of my favorite comfort food at the supermarket" AU

Thank God it’s Friday. Felicity had just had one of the worst weeks of her life. Between the demands at work and the demands of her body she was exhausted. She wanted nothing more but to crawl into bed.

Life had different plans. When she finally got home, she realized she was out of tampons as well as ibuprofen and her favorite comfort food. That just wouldn’t do. She was able to get to the drugstore just before it closed. After picking up her tampons and ibuprofen, she went straight to the frozen food section. She almost tripped over the display in the center of the aisle when she saw the man at the end.

Handsome would be an understatement. Even with a sweater and leather jacket, she could tell he worked out. He had the kind of stubble she wanted to run her fingernails through, and… No! She didn’t have time to fantasize about strangers.

She walked over to the ice cream section to pick herself up some mint chip. She smiled when she saw he had picked out a pint of her favorite brand too. That smile quickly left her face when she realized he had taken the last one.

She was initially angry but then quickly resigned. She closed her eyes and took a breath but she couldn’t reel in her emotions. She dropped her purse and basket on the floor and slid down one of the freezer doors with her face in her hands. And she started crying. She was tired, in pain, and now she didn’t even have her ice cream.

Moments later she felt the touch of someone’s hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Mr. Handsome in front of her, a concerned expression etched on his face. She couldn’t even muster the energy to feel embarrassed.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She wiped her tears away as she said, “Yeah, sorry. I don’t usually make such a scene. It’s just been a tough week and well…” She nodded towards her basket, hoping he would get the picture. “…and then you just grabbed the last pint of my favorite comfort food.”

“Ah, I can understand that. My sister still makes me run to the drugstore for her when I’m home. Do you want to take it? I think you need it more than I do.” He gave her a small smile and Felicity couldn’t help but think he probably doesn’t wear that expression often. He put the ice cream in her basket and picked it up alongside his own. When he started paying for both of their things, she let out a small protest.

“Don’t worry, I’m good for it,” he told her. She fidgeted slightly, feeling a little awkward about a stranger buying her groceries, though she did thank him.

As they walked out of the store, he asked, “Where’s your car?”

“Oh, I walked,” she replied as she moved to take her bag of items.

“Alone, at this time of night?” He asked almost incredulously.

She smiled at his protectiveness. “Yep. I only live a mile away.”

“Can I give you a ride?” He offered. She  _was_ particularly tired, she reasoned with herself.

“Okay, yeah. That’d be great,” she told him with a smile.

She almost rescinded her offer when she saw his motorcycle. She had never been on one before, so she took the proffered helmet warily. She was grateful for her own laziness that she went to the store in sweatpants instead of her usual office-wear.

He walked her up to her apartment door to make sure she got in safely before he turned to leave. “Goodnight.”

“Wait! I don’t even know your name,” she pointed out.

He gave her a wry smile. “Oliver Queen.”

Feeling bold, Felicity held out her hand and said, “Give me your phone.”

He raised his eyebrows but put the phone in her hand. He read the contact entry after she passed it back.

“Mint Chip Girl. Is that your legal name?” He teased.

“No. That’d be Felicity Smoak.”

“Well Felicity Smoak, would you be interested in lunch tomorrow? Maybe I could come over with some Chinese food?” He proposed.

Felicity replied, “That sounds amazing.”

“Great. Get some rest,” he said as he gently tapped the doorframe before leaving. Halfway down the hall he turned back and said, “Oh, and Felicity. One more thing?”

“Yeah?”

“An orgasm does wonders for cramps.” He gave her a wink before he walked out of sight.

Felicity could already tell Oliver Queen was going be trouble.


	6. The Ex Files

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You’re a store clerk and _oh shit_ , I just spotted my ex please let me hide behind your desk-thing” AU

Oliver Queen would be the first to admit he doesn’t particularly like his job at the hardware store. Being an old mom and pop kind of place, it has a musty smell that seems to linger on his clothes even when he gets home. It isn’t always so bad though; most of the time he doesn’t mind being cashier. The problem is however, that since the store is small, so is his space behind the counter. He actually has to step to the side when he opens the cash drawer of the till.

Oliver blames the small space for what happens next.

He is minding his own business when all of a sudden a blonde woman throws herself over the counter. He catches her before she can slam her head into either the wall or the concrete floor and she immediately ducks down.

“Hello?” Oliver asks because he doesn’t usually have beautiful women hiding behind his counter.

She starts to fluster as she whispers, “Oh god. I’m so sorry, it’s just, my ex saw me and I’m trying to hide from him.”

Oliver takes a look around and spots a questionable character down the aisle closest to him. “The geeky psychopath with the hammer?”

“Yes,” she emphasizes with a nod.

“Stay as long as you like.” Oliver regrets that statement as soon as he says it. It’s not that he wants to put her in possible danger; it’s just that she is pressed up against him and clearly unaware of her actions. She nuzzles her face into his pant leg and he’d bet she also doesn’t notice the vice grip she has on his belt. He does.

The only reason he has some semblance of control is because he’s watching geeky psychopath walk back and forth. Oliver squints his eyes and wonders what the guy did to scare a woman into hiding from him in a hardware store. The ex-boyfriend walks up to the counter, and looks around.

“Can I help you?” Oliver asks.

“Have you seen a girl? She’s really blonde, wearing high heels and glasses,” the ex-boyfriend responds.

Oliver is about to reply with a lie when Felicity sneezes. She sighs and pulls herself upright. 

“Oh, Cooper… hey. See you had a chance to meet my new boyfriend,” Felicity says prompting Oliver to raise his eyebrows. He rolls with the charade.

“Oliver,” he supplies and holds his hand out to shake. Cooper isn’t quite polite enough to do the same.

“Really? This guy? He looks like a tool.” Oliver levels him with a look that shouts ‘excuse me?’. Cooper visibly swallows, obviously realizing that he has no chance if a fight should break out.

“He's not. Have you seen his incredible ass? And wow, these arms.” She gives his bicep a squeeze and Oliver shifts his gaze to the girl next to him. He gives her a quizzical expression.

“C’mon, Felicity, baby --” Cooper pleads.

“No Cooper. First of all, I'm not your baby. And secondly, you don’t get to steal my work, have sex with my boss and then expect me to take you back,” Felicity counters.

Oliver has heard enough, so he warns, “You should probably be going.”

Cooper looks between the two of them and gives up. Neither Oliver nor Felicity take the effort to watch him walk away.

“Incredible ass huh?” Oliver flirts. He smiles when Felicity blushes.

“Yeah, sorry for the whole invading your personal space thing. But thank you for being my pretend boyfriend. I haven’t exactly been on any dates recently, but he didn’t need to know that.”

“That’s hard to believe. What would you say if I wanted to break your dry spell?” Oliver offers.

“Wow. This is unexpected. But yes, I’d like that,” she says with a smile. She bites her lip, and he represses the desire to pull it from between her teeth to kiss her.

“Dinner tonight?” He suggests.

“How does Big Belly Burger sound? They have great burgers and milkshakes. Do you eat that? You look like someone who might not eat that because I mean look at you.” She finishes with a vague hand motion to emphasize her point.

“Felicity. That sounds great. I’ll meet you there at seven,” he says with a smile.

“Okay. I’ll see you then,” she replies in kind. She turns to leave and makes it a few paces before Oliver calls out.

“Wait, Felicity. You didn’t buy whatever you came here for.”

“It can wait; I just need to nail something against my bedroom wall,” Felicity says with a smirk.

As Oliver watches her walk out the door, he thinks she has a pretty incredible ass too.


	7. The Babysitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uncle Roy tries to tell his niece a bedtime story.

“Uncle Roy, will you tell me a bedtime story?” Little Eloise says with her teddy bear tucked in next to her. Her dark blonde hair is still wet and combed back.

“Fine, little monster. What about _Cat in the Hat_?” Roy holds up the book as he tries to persuade her with a charismatic smile.

“Mommy read that one last night,” she points out.

“ _Green Eggs and Ham_?” Roy suggests instead.

“Nooooo,” she complains with a dramatically put-out face.

Roy holds his hands up in mock surrender. “What do you want me to read then?”

She makes a thinking face and taps her pointer finger against her cheek before she beams, “Make up a story!”

“Make up a story?” Roy deadpans disbelievingly.

“Yeah, make up a story,” she repeats. He looks at her for a few seconds before she raises her eyebrows expectantly.

“Wonder who she got that from,” Roy mutters before Eloise huffs. He placates her and begins, “Okay, okay. Once upon a time…”

☾

Oliver is relaxing on the couch next to his wife, happy to be able to spend some alone time together (a rare commodity even before parenthood.) That mood comes crashing down when he hears their daughter scream and he is up the stairs in an instant. He finds a distinct lack of danger and a wide-eyed Roy.

“Roy! Take a walk,” Oliver says sternly as he crosses the room, though not loud enough to scare his daughter even more. He scoops her up and asks her gently, “Ellie, are you okay?”

Eloise shakes her head back in forth and holds on tighter while she continues on with her quiet sobs. Oliver begins running his free hand up and down his daughter’s back to soothe her as he glares daggers at Roy.

Meanwhile, Felicity takes one look at the situation. "Everything okay here?" When she's met with tense silence, she rolls her eyes.

“Alright. C’mon Roy. We made cookies earlier. Since I don't look the way I did one child and who knows how many years ago, you’re going to help me eat them,” Felicity says while patting Roy’s shoulders. 

As she begins walking him out the room, Roy protests, “She’s your kid! How was I supposed to know she wouldn’t like action stories?”

“Oh boy. What are you going to do when you and Thea start having kids?” Felicity says with a head tilt.

Oliver barely hears Roy say, “About that…” as she pulls the door to.

Oliver sighs as he presses a kiss to the side of her head, holding it there. Once she stops crying, he leans back far enough to look at her. She’s pouting and the tear marks down her cheeks break his heart. As he attempts to wipe them away, he beseeches his daughter for answers. “What’s wrong baby?”

“I’m scared,” Eloise whispers.

“Did Uncle Roy say something scary?” Oliver gently demands.

“Yeah, he said -” she takes a deep breath and sighs dramatically, “- he said that there was once this really mean bad guy that was super strong and he had an eye patch like a pirate,” she explains. She scrunches one eye closed and uses her hand as a makeshift eye patch to narrate her point. Oliver could kill Roy.

“A long time ago there was, but he's gone now. You don’t have to worry because I’m really good at protecting people. I’ll keep you and Mommy safe; and when your baby brother gets here, I’ll keep him safe too,” Oliver reassures her.

“I know _that_ Daddy," as though it were obvious, "But the reason I was crying was a‘cause who is gonna to keep _you_ safe if more bad guys come?”

It's moments like these that make Oliver wonder how he could get so lucky. If someone were to tell him ten years ago that he would be here now, he wouldn't have believed them. He gives Eloise a reassuring smile as he says, “Don’t worry about me. Mommy and I will keep each other safe. We always do.”

Seemingly satisfied, she rubs her eyes and yawns around an “Okay.”

Oliver pulls the covers back and puts Eloise into bed. He's almost done tucking her in as she says, “Daddy?”

“Yeah, baby?” He asks as he sits on the edge of the bed.

“When is my little brother going to be here?” Eloise asks while blinking heavier and heavier until her eyes are closed all together.

“Any day now,” he says with a soft smile. 

She speaks again without opening her eyes, “Mmm. Daddy, when he gets here, I’m gonna to be in charge of keeping him safe.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, a'cause I'll be his big sister.”

“Sounds good to me.” He kisses her and turns on her nightlight. “Goodnight, Ellie.”

“Night Daddy.”

Oliver turns off the bedroom light and pulls the door closed just slightly before he jogs down to the kitchen. He grabs Roy and roughly shoves him against the wall. Though they both know he could fight back, Roy just stands there with eyebrows raised. All ire from before has returned.

“What were you thinking?” Oliver demands, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t shoot you for scaring my daughter.”

Before he can answer for himself, Felicity speaks up. “Oliver, honey,” Felicity says with a half-eaten cookie in her hand, “You don’t want to do that. Your future niece or nephew is going to need him in one piece in about, what… six, seven months?”

Oliver lets go and steps back as he disbelievingly says, “Thea is pregnant?”

Roy tenses, fully expecting a punch and fully surprised when he’s pulled into a hug.

“Oliver?” Roy panics, even more concerned now than when he was pinned against the wall. Oliver steps back.

“Congratulations, Roy. Now go home to your wife. But don’t think for one second that if Ellie has a nightmare tonight, you won’t be paying for that on the mats tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is dedicated to Em, for being an amazing person and wonderful friend. If you'll excuse the cliché that is borrowing quotes by C.S. Lewis:
> 
> “Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”


	8. Dick Grayson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver isn't the biggest fan of Felicity's college friend, Dick Grayson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read the last story, this is in the same universe but takes place previously. Also, if you do not know who Dick Grayson is, see [here](http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Richard_Grayson_\(New_Earth\)) for a detailed description. Essentially, he is Robin (from Batman and Robin).

Oliver looks up from his notebook when he hears his front door being opened. His heavily guarded front door. He is about to pull a gun on the intruder when he hears his daughter scream out of delight. When Oliver sees the stealthy figure, he is much less enthused. Strolling in from the foyer is Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne's protégé and Oliver's nightmare.

“UNCLE DICK!!!” Oliver's daughter, Eloise, squeals from her seat on the living room floor. She has drawings scattered in front of her, all colorful crayon portraits. She scans them quickly and seems to randomly pick one up before she runs across the living room towards him, leaping into a hug. She laughs as she gets thrown around.

“Hey kiddo,” Dick says as she hands him a now slightly crumpled drawing. He’s still trying to figure out what he’s looking at when he asks, “What’s this?”

She moves the hair from her face as she lets out a heavy breath and she responds, “It’s a picture of a half-caterpillar, half-dog fighting crime with a bo staff.”

“Well that’s sure creative,” he says before setting her down. Dick pulls a gift from his back pocket and hands it over. “Here kid, I brought you something for your superhero collection.”

“THANK YOU!” She screams before she leans up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. He humors her by bending his cheek to her face level. She starts singing her own personal theme music as she runs out to the backyard to play with her new weapon.

“Grayson,” Oliver says tersely as he shakes hands, “Did you just give my four year old daughter a shuriken?”

“Relax. It’s mostly dull,” Grayson replies nonchalantly with a dismissive hand. It reminds Oliver why he isn’t particularly fond of the man.

“Is there a reason you’re here?” Oliver asks, not-so-subtly implying that he is not welcome in Oliver’s home.

Grayson gives him a cocky grin. He sticks his hands in his pockets and rolls on his heels joyfully as he says, “It just so happens that your missus asked me over.”

Before Oliver can reply, Felicity speaks from halfway up the stairs, “Oh, Dick, you’re early!”

“Bet that’s not the first time a woman’s said that,” Oliver mutters.

“What’s that Oliver?” Felicity asks distractedly while giving Grayson a hug and friendly kiss on the cheek.

“Felicity! It’s great to see you. Look at you, stunning as always,” He flashes a charismatic smile. Felicity snorts.

“Oh stop! That got you nowhere in college. What makes you think it’ll get you anywhere now?”

“That’s not what I seem to recall. I think you called me... what was it? ‘Silver tongued.’ And not just for my devilish wit.” Dick grins and Felicity blushes.

Oliver clears his throat. “Is this business?”

“You know it’s always a pleasure when Felicity’s around,” Grayson says flirtatiously before sombering, “But yes this is business.”

As Felicity opens up her laptop and runs through some computer software, Dick leans over her shoulder to look at the information. He debriefs Oliver. “It seems as though vertigo has made it all the way to Gotham City. We've got a name - Scarecrow. He’s using the drug to terrorize the city, literally. He actually scares people to death. Any more help you could give us, Felicity, would be much appreciated.”

“ _More_  help?”

Felicity ignores her husband and looks softly at Grayson. She places a hand on his forearm as she says, “Of course. How is Barbara, by the way?”

“She’s still taking it hard, but I would be too if I were her. You should come over to Gotham sometime, I know she’d love to see you. Bruce too,” He says, the cockiness gone from his voice. Oliver can tell that Barbara's paralyzing accident has been hard on him too.

That is why Oliver is sincere when he says, “Or we can see her today.” Both Felicity and Dick look at him as though he grew another head, so he explains himself, “You’re one man down and we’ve already dealt with vertigo more times than I would like. Felicity and I’d be happy to help. Ellie is staying out of the Batcave, though. Lord only knows what will go wrong if we let her down there.”

Felicity levels Oliver with a teasing look. “As if Bruce would let anything happen to his favorite niece. I’ll pack us some clothes, while you pack up our equipment.” She turns to her friend before she requests, “Dick, do you mind getting Ellie ready?”

“I’d be happy to,” Dick says before walking outside.

Felicity turns to her husband as they walk further into the house. “I never thought I’d live to see the day that the Arrow worked with Batman and Nightwing.”

“Let’s try not to make a habit out of it,” he says with a smile. He pivots when he hears Eloise run in from outside. She skids across the floor before she clutches onto Oliver’s legs. “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”

“Yeah baby?” Oliver says with a hand on his daughter’s head.

“Uncle Dick said that I can fly the plane to Gotham City!” She claims with gusto.

“Sorry princess, not today,” he sighs before picking up Ellie. “We’ll reconsider once you’re in grade school.”

“Okay Daddy…” she pouts. He tickles the frown off her face.

“Guess what, though? Uncle Dick said he’d love to have a sleepover with you after we’re done catching the bad guy,” Oliver says with a grin. Ellie’s eyes light up and Dick narrows his at Oliver. “Now go pack some stuff up. You can bring two toys.” He sets his daughter down and pats her on the butt. She runs away and Dick follows after her.

“What was that about, Oliver?” Felicity knowingly asks.

Oliver smiles at his wife and pulls her into his arms, giving her a more-than-PG-13 kiss. He pulls back slightly to look in her eyes as he explains, “I figure we go catch the killer and then after we’re all done with business,” his hand trails down his wife’s back, “we’ll have some time left over for pleasure.” He punctuates his statement by pulling her tight against him.

 ⇆

After Professor Jonathan Crane is locked in Arkham Asylum, Oliver spends all night re-familiarizing Felicity with pleasure and he makes sure his tongue is the only one she thinks about for a very long time.


	9. Friday Night Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy didn't show up to football practice and Oliver wants to know why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue prompt by longlivefelicitythequeen:  
> "Why didn't he come and talk to me himself?"
> 
> In this high school AU, I have changed the age range so everyone is a little closer together. Oliver (18), Felicity (17), Roy (16), Thea (16).

Monday afternoon, Oliver walks up to Felicity’s locker. Her hair is beautiful today, all soft curls. He leans back against the cold metal as he watches her pack up for the day.

“Hello Felicity,” he says with a small smile. He hopes she doesn’t realize how lovesick he is. 

“Hello Oliver,” she says, genuinely glad to see him. 

“Have you seen Roy? He wasn’t at practice today,” Oliver asks, annoyed but not worried. It’s not as though this is the first time he’s missed practice.

“Oh, Roy didn’t tell you?” She says casually, almost too casually.

Oliver catches on and can’t help but feel a sense of foreboding as he replies, “It would seem not. What didn’t Roy tell me?”

“He’s quitting the team,” she says with a quick glance.

Oliver is surprised. “Roy can’t quit the team. He’s out best running back. We’re going into semifinals this weekend. Did he say why?”

“He said that you were going to make his life hell.”

“Why he didn’t come and talk to me himself?” Oliver says thoughtfully to himself. He throws a sidelong glance at his best friend.

Felicity gently closes her locker while she worries her lip and avoids his gaze. Her reticence makes his stomach drop because if there is one thing Felicity Smoak is not, she is not quiet.

“Felicity. You know why.” He doesn’t phrase it as a question.

“I mean, what he said is kind of unthinkable,” she argues meekly.

He turns his whole attention on his friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. “What happened? The truth please.”

“Last week at Tommy’s party we were hooking up.” If Felicity notices the way Oliver raises his eyebrows and unconsciously squeezes her shoulder, she doesn’t say anything. “I thought things were going well but he got up and left, saying he would be quitting the team.” Felicity ends with a nod.

“That’s not all Roy said,” Oliver prods.

Felicity smiles, “He said he’s going to take my advice about asking Thea out.” Oliver shoots her a look. “What? I said it was going well, not that I was in love with him.”

Oliver is speechless. He doesn’t know where to start: the molten hot jealousy of Roy touching Felicity or the ice-cold dread of Roy asking out Thea?

Felicity places a hand on his forearm, but casts her eyes to the floor. “He may have also mentioned that you are in love with me.” 

It’s no wonder he decided to quit the team. Oliver relaxes with a resigned sigh. As much as Roy has royally screwed everything up, Oliver’s personal vendetta can’t come before the team. Oliver isn’t sure how long he’s been quiet. He’s just processing her last statement as she speaks again.

“Unthinkable, right?” Felicity says with a weak laugh. Oliver looks at her as though she lost her mind.

“That’s what you think is unthinkable?” She nods “Felicity, what is unthinkable is a girl like you wanting a guy like me.”

Felicity kisses him. It’s short but sweet, and seems like the kind of thing that would happen on a playground blacktop. He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have to, as he wraps his letterman jacket around her and kisses her passionately. 

Oliver does ultimately convince Roy to rejoin the team and despite everything, there was one thing Roy was right about: Oliver continually finds new ways to make his life hell on the pitch.


	10. Sleeping Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver suffers from some memory loss after a fight goes south.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you want some Sleeping Beauty references, because that's what you're gonna get.

A groan echoes throughout the foundry.

“Sleeping Beauty is awake!” Roy yells, across the foundry from Felicity and Digg. They had all been biting their nails on this one. Roy and Oliver went out on patrols, and things got very rough, very fast. Oliver had pushed Roy out of the way of an incoming hit, and in the process got his head knocked against concrete. Hard. He had been out solid for more than a few hours.

“Oliver?!” Felicity exclaims a few feet away.

“Who’s Oliver?” he asks as he sits up.

“Oh boy,” Roy says in response.

☉

“And I’m a billionaire?”

“You used to be,” Roy clarifies.

“But I’m the boss around here?” Oliver asks hesitantly.

“Kinda, yeah. But it’s more of a team effort,” Roy says with a head nod from side to side.

“And we fight crime?” Oliver asks with a skeptical expression.

“Yes.”

“With bows and arrows?” Oliver asks incredulously.

“Well yeah but Digg uses a handgun and Felicity uses a computer.”

☉

Oliver is doing target practice. He is surprised to find he is actually quite good at it – at least when he stops thinking. When he takes a break, he calls Roy over.

“Were Felicity and I together, before…?” Oliver asks him quietly.

“What makes you ask that?” Roy edges carefully.

“I have this feeling,” he says with a frustrated shake of the head. He might not remember the details, but he still reacts certain ways to certain things. “She feels really important to me. And the way she looks at me – it’s not the same way she looks at you and Digg.”

Roy gives him an uncharacteristically sympathetic smile before he says, “You weren't together, no.”

When Oliver shifts his gaze to Felicity, sitting at her desk. He wonders why he hadn’t done anything about his feelings before.

☉

“Would you like to go to dinner with me, Felicity?” Oliver asks when the two are alone in the foundry.

She gives him a shocked expression with wide eyes as she says, “Are you sure you want to do that Oliver? You don’t remember anything about me, about us.”

Oliver sighs a little bit as he starts. “I know it must be frustrating that I can’t remember a lot, but there are some things deep down, visceral things. I can still fire arrows; I still feel camaraderie with Roy and Digg; but most of all, I still know how important you are to me,” Oliver says.

When she doesn't speak, he continues. “The way you look at me – it makes me feel less broken. So if you’ll still have me, I’d like to give it a try.” He ends with a small, almost sad smile.

Felicity, a little choked up, responds, “I’d like that too.”

☉

Oliver and Felicity date as normal people do. Their relationship progresses normally too.

First Kiss.

First Time.

“I love you.”

Cohabitation.

About a year into their relationship, Oliver slips a small velvet box in a hidden nook in the foundry and he waits. He waits; and waits; and waits. Until he finally feels ready.

☉

There is nothing special or different about today. The routine is the same; there are no pressing issues for the Arrow to handle. Everything is oddly normal, yet Oliver falls from the salmon ladder and drops the bar with a clank.

Felicity rushes from around her desk and asks, “Are you okay, Oliver?”

She moves to check him for a fever, but Oliver intercepts her motions with a kiss – a passionate, desperate kiss. It's a kiss that makes him feel more awake, more alive than ever before. He’s not sure how long he holds her tightly until he moves away only a bit, and says, “I remember.”

Felicity is rendered speechless, and starts to worry that that kiss was a goodbye. She moves back slightly, and Oliver’s demeanor changes completely. He knows what she’s thinking. He places his hands on her shoulders and says, “Felicity, stay right here.”

He moves to some dark corner of the foundry, and it does nothing to quell her fears. He’s back in an instant.

“The past year and a half has not been easy for either of us. I had to relearn a lot of thing but, by some miracle, you stayed with me through it all. You –”, he says while he puts a hand on her shoulder,“you didn’t have to take me. I was selfish and thoughtless before my accident, and now I’m surprised you took me despite it all. Despite all of my wrongdoings. You have always helped me, taken care of me and I want you to know that I appreciate that. I love you.”

Felicity smiles a little oblivious to what comes next, “I love you too, Oliver.”

He lets out an anxious laugh and looks upwards for courage, then bends down on one knee.

“Felicity, if you’ll have me, I would like to let you know how much I love you for the rest of my life,” he says.

Her eyes fill up with tears and she stares. He looks at her patiently, and a little anxiously, until he says, “Felicity?”

She lets out a choked laugh as she says, “You still need to ask me something.”

He looks down with a breathy laugh at the open box. He then looks up at her and asks, “Will you marry me?”

She falls into his arms and punctuates each “yes” with kisses all over his face. He laughs as he puts the ring on her finger.

Maybe true love does conquer all.

☉

_“And from this slumber you shall wake, when true love's kiss, the spell shall break.”_


	11. Wade Wilson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain mouthy mercenary makes a trip to Starling City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See [here](http://marvel.wikia.com/Deadpool_\(Wade_Wilson\)) for a detailed description of Deadpool. Tl;dr: He is an anti-hero mercenary that constantly breaks the fourth wall and knows that he is a comic book character.

Oliver is halfway across Starling looking for their target when he hears Roy speaking through the comms.

“What the fuck?” he says gently, disbelievingly.

Oliver jumps on his bike and is already on the way when he asks, “What is it Roy?”

Silence.

“Roy.” Felicity says and then a little more desperately, “Roy?!”

“What the fuck?” Roy repeats slightly more emphatically as though he can’t believe his eyes because well, he can’t.

“You said that already. Care to elaborate?” Felicity prods sardonically.

Silence.

“Roy. What is going on?” Oliver says frustrated, full Arrow in his voice.

“You’ll understand when you get here, Boss.”

When he arrives, Oliver observes silently and tightens his grip on his bow. In front of them lay at least fifteen dead men. Stepping around (and on) them is a man spinning katana swords. His opponent is the target Roy and Oliver had been looking for all night. The man is even taller than Oliver with broad shoulders, decked out in full red and black clothing with tactical gear strapped on. A mask covers his face.

Preoccupied, neither Roy nor Oliver hears Felicity mutter, “Are you kidding me right now?”

Oliver’s on the move before Roy can really get his bearings, if his “God damn it, Oliver” is any notion.

At that moment the mystery man makes one final swing, leaving a decapitated body on the ground. They can see the man smile, even with fabric covering his face.

“Don’t move!” Roy shouts. The figure turns to face them and ignores his order.

“Nice color choice, baby Robin Hood,” the man says while approaching. Looking at neither man, he continues, “Nah, this kid’s got nothin’ on Spidey.”

“What?” Roy asks, confused.

The guy looks at Roy, affronted. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

Roy fires an arrow and the man blocks it easily. The red and black clad fighter tilts his head slowly as he sheathes his swords on his back. For someone with two arrows pointed at his chest, he is oddly calm.

“Now that’s not very nice. I thought you were supposed to be the good guys.”

Oliver speaks first, “Who are you?”

“Most people call me Deadpool. And you Robin Hood, I love the suit. The green really brings out the seriousness in your eyes.”

“What are you doing in my city?”

“Just doing my job,” he says while point a thumb at the decapitated man, “and being a hero. Saving the day.”

“This killing, it isn't being a hero,” Oliver says.

“Well that was a strangely hypocritical statement. I seem to recall you killing plenty of people two years ago. Difference between you and me is that I get paid for it.”

“So you’re a mercenary?” Oliver asks.

“Yes. But I only kill bad guys! You really haven’t heard of me? The merc with the mouth?” Deadpool says with a smirk. He sighs at their silence. “Well boys, this was a great conversation but I’ve got money to make, people to kill, other superheroes to annoy.”

He turns his back and Oliver fires an arrow into his shoulder. Deadpool takes it out like it’s nothing. The two men watch his wound heal instantly.

“Ugh. Can you not do that? It ruins the suit,” he complains.

The three boys turn their head at a car door slamming to find Felicity fast approaching. Oliver is livid that she's even here. He is about to call her out, to tell her to go back the the foundry when she walks right past him and starts poking the mercenary in the chest.

“Wade Winston Wilson! What do you think you’re doing?!” Felicity screeches, using her loud voice.

The mercenary, who had before looked like an intimidating killing machine, petulantly avoids her gaze. He scrapes his boot along the floor and seems so much smaller as he replies, “C’mon Lissie. A guy’s gotta eat.”

Both Roy and Oliver reel back, surprised and concerned that Felicity and Deadpool are on first name basis. And he even has a nickname for her. No one has a nickname for her. Oliver is speechless. He incredulously watches the scene unfolding before them.

“No Wade. We talked about this and you promised you were only going to take non-lethal jobs!” Felicity argues.

“But– ”

“You promised,” Felicity says. Her voice brokers no argument.

“Fine!” Deadpool seethes angrily. He switches moods considerably and grins. He pulls Felicity into a hug and says, “Lissie! I missed you.”

Deadpool sets her back and points between Felicity and Oliver. “Are you two together yet? The readers are dying to know. I mean, this is fanfiction right? The sexy kind of fanfiction?”

Felicity blushes and Oliver steps forward to place a hand on her shoulder.

Deadpool continues and leers, “Oh, it’s like _that_ , huh?”

Felicity clears her throat, “Go home, Wade. Don't come back unless it's for pleasure instead business. I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

Deadpool salutes, “Pleasure? Why I am offended that you would want to corrupt my innocence and virginity.”

Felicity laughs, “That's me, defiling ruthless mercenaries one at a time. Get out of here.”

She pushes him softly and though they both know he could overpower her if need be, he abides. He gives her a kiss on the cheek and leaves.

When Deadpool is out of sight, Roy voices the curiosity he and Oliver share. “How do you know that guy?”

Felicity sighs tiredly. “That’s a long story for another time. Let’s call it a night.”

Felicity takes Oliver home and it's almost sexy fanfiction after all.


	12. Not a date.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thea Queen is sick of her brother's boneheadedness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU in which Thea is with Roy and Felicity is decidedly single

When Thea Queen returns from a few hellish days on Lian Yu with her brother, she is exhausted. Of course she is physically tired - no doubt about it - but the mental weight of the past few days, weeks, years is heavy. When exactly did everything become so dangerous?

Trying to find some respite and safety, she walks down into the foundry. She doesn’t expect anyone to be there, so when she is met with the sight of Felicity Smoak, she decides to turn around. Felicity speaks up before she can.

“Thea?”

Thea sighs, “Hi. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt, I just wanted some place to get away from everything.”  _Some place safe._ _  
_

Felicity reassures her quickly, “Oh, it’s nothing. Feel free to stay here. I like to sit in the quiet sometimes, too. The place just makes me feel safe, y’know?”

Thea gives her a gentle, small smile, “Yeah, I think I do.”

She pulls out a chair and sits next to Felicity. Thea stares at the table intently as she wonders what she’s doing with her life. Is Starling City really where she wants to be? She’s pulled out of her reverie when a hand touches her forearm.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Felicity says quietly.

“You know this weekend, Slade had a gun pressed against my head. I wasn’t even scared after I hit him across the face with his own gun,” Thea says as though she can't believe this is her life.

Felicity makes a noise of assent. “I’ve been there with the whole gun thing. Actually, I've kind of been there with the Slade thing too. Either way, not fun but it kind of makes you feel like a badass, doesn’t it?” Felicity says with an empathetic smile and a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

“Yeah, it kind of does,” Thea agrees distractedly, wondering why her brother is being so thick skulled about his relationship with her.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

“I would appreciate it if you could both stop being held at gun point,” Oliver says from a few feet away. The corners of his mouth twitch up and his voice is teasing with an undercurrent of concern.

Thea gives her brother a tired smile after he kisses the crown of her head.

“Hey Ollie?”

“Yes Thea?” Oliver replies wary. Thea’s using her meddling voice.

“You love me, right?” Thea asks her questions innocently.

“Of course.”

“And I’m your sister?”

“Yes,” he says slowly.

“And you’re still my brother even though you’re a vigilante?”

“Yes Thea. Why are you asking me this?” Oliver asks somewhere between exasperated and concerned.

“Oh, I was just wondering. You’re in love with Felicity but you’re throwing away any chance of a relationship there, so I wanted to make sure I didn’t have to look for a new brother.”

“Thea-- ”

She holds up a hand for him to stop. “Don’t  _Thea_  me, Ollie. I’m going to go to my boyfriend’s house. We are going to watch TV and have lots of sex and I will be pretending I am a normal person. So,” she says while looking at him pointedly, “you’ll have the apartment to yourself for three days. Goodnight Felicity and I'll see you then, dear brother of mine.”

Thea leaves quickly, with renewed purpose, and Felicity returns to her work. Much thought and a few minutes later, Oliver speaks up. “Thea’s right, you know?”

“About what?” Felicity asks with a head tilt.

“About you. You're already a part of my life and I love you. I could change that about as much as I could stop being Thea's brother, so I may as well quit trying.”

Felicity is left a little shocked and speechless. Oliver steps forward hesitantly yet purposefully.

“Do you want to come over for some takeout and a movie?”

“Oliver…” Felicity says, making her reluctance clear.

“It doesn’t have to be a date. The last one didn’t go so well anyway.” He tries for levity but falls somewhere slightly short.

Felicity looks at him for a few seconds before she says, “Okay. Not a date.”

Oliver nods and agrees, “Not a date.”

In the end, it may not have been a date, but breakfast the morning after certainly was.


	13. Bitches Get Stuff Done

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felicity meets a stranger on a train.

Felicity always had a problem with running her mouth. It’s what got her in trouble all throughout elementary school and middle school because, despite everything she tried, nothing could get her to stop talking without also asphyxiating her in the process. It was years of embarrassment before she found a solution.

The first day of high school was the first day she had a Russian class. She realized that if she knew a foreign language, a rather obscure one at that, no one would know what she was saying. Learning Russian had some pleasant side effects too, such as helping placate testy Russian business partners and intimidate American ones. It's a language that makes her feel beautiful and dangerous.

Fast-forward eight years to find Felicity Smoak the owner and CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and one of the most famous people in Starling City. She is a sweet person to those who know her but a vicious businesswoman to everyone else. She has been nicknamed “The Livewire” by those that cross her path and are shocked that such a pretty package can hold a punch. She’s at the top of her game, and though she knows she doesn’t need anyone to complete her, sometimes she finds it hard to be alone on cold sleepless nights.

It’s been a while, to say the least. To her defense, it’s not as though she has much time to find dates. She spends all her time at work and everyone at work is either scared of her or has ulterior motives. So no, Felicity hasn’t spent the night with someone other than her vibrator for a long time. And she blames that fact for what follows. 

It’s a Friday morning when Felicity sits down clumsily on the train across from a heartbreakingly gorgeous man with dark blonde hair. One look makes her heart beat a little faster and she has never found the term “Adonis” more fitting. His cheekbones highlight shimmering blue eyes and his skin is lightly tanned with a healthy glow. The way that scruff makes her feel is definitely illegal in some places.

Her fingers tighten slightly around her travel mug.

He’s wearing a perfectly tailored Armani suit, charcoal fabric accentuating the hard lines of his body. His white dress shirt is crisp and clean, a black and light gray checkered silk tie shimmering in the natural light. She’s sure if she got him out of those oxford leather shoes that they would be Louboutins. The thought of undressing him has her cursing her imagination and re-crossing her legs.

Needless to say, that man could rock a suit.

To distract herself from staring at his face for the next twenty minutes, Felicity runs through her e-mails. When she realizes she’s talking, she is never so thankful that speaking to herself is more natural in Russian than in English.

“ _I could spend all day in bed with you, stripping that obscene suit from your body, and running my hands all over you until you come undone under my fingers_ ,” Felicity mutters casually as she looks over her latest schematics.

She hears a disbelieving laugh and looks up from her tablet to find the stranger looking at her with a heated smile.

“ _At least buy me dinner first_ ,” he replies in a foreign tongue with mirth, punctuated by a wink.

She blushes fiercely and drops her tablet on the ground. She bends over to pick it up and when she feels her blood has finally stopped rushing to her cheeks, she looks up. Her heart sinks, disappointed to find the mystery man gone. In his place she finds the business card of Oliver Queen, the new CEO of Queen Consolidated. On the flip side, a note is scrawled in Russian: “ _Is that a threat or a promise, Ms. Smoak?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “we’re sitting next to each other on a bus/train/etc. and you’re hot so I said something very inappropriate in {insert language here} but it turns out you’re fluent in it and you turn to me and say ‘at least buy me dinner first’ in the same language” AU
> 
> Kudos to you if you can find my tiny pun, because I think it's pretty clever.


	14. Clint Barton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the archery!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a present for my dear friend Sim. Happy Birthday, babe!

“It didn’t work,” Laurel said, stunned.

“What didn’t work?” Felicity asked cautiously. She generally liked Laurel, but sometimes she had a short temper.

“My canary cry.”

“Oh, well do you want me to take a look at it for –” Felicity asked.

Laurel snapped, “No, the tech is fine but it didn’t work.”

Oliver let out a weary sigh and said, “Just tell us what happened, Laurel.” He spent hours running around the city, and he just didn’t have the energy to argue with her.

Team Arrow had spent the night spread throughout the city trying to find the person responsible for a human trafficking business. When they finally got the intel of when and where the next trade would take place, they hurried towards the docks. Laurel, the first to arrive, found no sign of captors or captives, just an empty cargo container and a retreating form. In an effort to stop the person from slipping away, Laurel activated her canary cry but the man didn’t even flinch before dropping out of sight.

⇆

They were okay with it, that is, until a week later when another ring popped up – as did the mystery man. This time Oliver arrived first to find him shooting arrows at gunmen.

“Who are you?” Oliver called and knocked an arrow at the archer.

“We don’t exactly have enough time to talk about that right now, Queen,” the archer said. He turned from his ministrations and looked at Oliver’s face intently. Oliver tried not to let his surprise show while he watched with fascination as the stranger shot an arrow behind himself, hitting the intended target. Impressive. Oliver moved to stand on his left side and began shooting trick arrows. When he ran out of his own, he took one of his partner's arrows.

The arrow covered the target in a slimy substance and Oliver just looked comically at the other man. 

“Putty arrow, bro!” he said with a grin.

When all threats were neutralized, Oliver turned towards him and asked, “How do you know who I am?”

“You’re going to have to either get on my right side or keep that hood down while you talk. Your girl broke one of my hearing aids with that god awful ultrasonic nightmare,” the stranger said while motioning to his left ear.

Both the men stopped dead when they heard a scream. Oliver’s heart dropped as he recognized it as Felicity. He tried not to think about why he knew what her scream sounded like.

They ran through the dockyard to find Felicity tied to a chair, bound and gagged in an empty storage container. Her hair was out of sorts, and she had definitely been slapped around. Her clothing was askew and Oliver’s blood ran cold. Human traffickers aren’t known for treating women well. She looked up at them and made an urgent noise, but the warning came too late. The last thing Oliver remembered as he fell unconscious was how much those men were going to regret touching Felicity.

⇆

Felicity was livid, shouting up an indecipherable storm as the thugs manhandled the archers, until one of the men grabbed her face.

“Keep quiet, bitch. If I hear anything out of you or these two,” the gangster gestured at the two passed out men with his handgun and then pointed it at her temple, “I’ll take you to my boss.” He trailed the barrel of the gun down her face, suggestively down her front and used it to push her skirt up slightly.

“He likes blondes,” he said with a dark laugh before releasing her. When they finally locked the container closed Felicity relaxed.

Felicity sat in her chair, watching the two slumped forms in front of her. A single incandescent work lamp was the only source of light in the container.  It was thirty minutes before the stranger awoke first. His eyes opened quickly, and he was immediately alert, pulling a collapsed bow from his tool belt. It was obvious that this was not his first time being drugged. As soon as he opened his mouth, she shushed the stranger and shook her head. In under thirty seconds, he was out of his hold and unknotting the rope binding her. Felicity rubbed her wrists before beginning to sign.

“ _Thank you. How did you do that so quickly?_ ” she signed curiously.

“ _You’re welcome. I --_ ” he stills his hands for a moment in indecision, “ _I grew up in the circus. The more I could do, the more likely I would be kept around. How did you know I'd know sign language?_ ”

Felicity gave him a warm smile and pointed at his broken hearing aid. “ _I had thirty minutes to stare at you._ _What’s your name?_ ”

“ _Hawkeye._ ”

“ _What’s your real name?_ ”

“ _I can’t tell you._ ”

“ _I’m Felicity. What are you doing in Starling City?_ ”

“ _That information happens to be classified Ms. Smoak, but I rest assured that you can figure it out_ ,” Hawkeye supplied with a cheeky smile. Oliver started to wake as they continued their conversation.

“ _I like your bow and arrow. Did Tony Stark design it?_ ” The question was perfunctory, as Stark Industries was unabashedly painted on the side.

“ _Yeah. Superhero playboy billionaires are the worst, huh?_ ” Hawkeye motioned towards Oliver.

“ _I have to agree with you there, Clint._ ” Felicity grinned at her new friend.

“What did you just say? -- sign?” Oliver said with a glare and then shifted his focus on Felicity, “And since when do you know sign language?”

“Shh! My best friend in high school was deaf. Why are you looking at me like that? Why are you always so surprised to find out I know things?” Felicity whispered indignantly. They’ve had this fight before.

Clint placed a hand on Felicity’s arm. “You knew who I was all along, didn’t you?”

Felicity turned and gave him a gentle smile, “Yep.”

“I think we should –” Oliver was cut off by the sound of metal being cut open. The figure in the doorway would have been unmistakable even if there weren’t strategically placed LED’s to show him off. Clint huffed.

“Even for you, this is pretty showy. What’s so wrong with picking the lock?” Clint asked.

“Even for you, this is pretty stupid, Barton,” Tony shot back.

“Hey!” Clint said petulantly, “We have codenames for a reason.”

“Are you serious Hawk Guy?” Tony complained as Clint rolled his eyes at the misnomer. Clint gave Felicity a hug.

“I’ll see you around,” he said before he signed, “ _And you should actually tap that. Even the ten minutes of hazy sexual tension was too much._ ”

Felicity tried to hide her blush as Oliver stood next to her.

“What did he say?” Oliver asked.

“It was just an offhanded comment about the weather. The fog is so _thick_ around here,” Felicity said, clearly annoyed, arms crossed in front of herself.

“So do you like that guy?” Oliver asked seriously.

Felicity rolled her eyes and walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Hawk...Guy?](http://www.comicpow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Hawkguy.jpg) and [Putty arrow, bro!](http://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/cb14.jpg)


	15. Sleepsong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You and I ride the same bus home every day but never talk but then you fell asleep and sorry to wake you up (you look really cute in your sleep) but it’s your stop next AU"

After her promotion, everyone asked Felicity why she kept taking the bus. Name any of their reasons: ‘you have your own parking spot’, ‘driving your car is faster’, or ‘you have enough money to hire your own driver’. So Felicity was the CIO of a Fortune 500 company. So what? She’s been riding the bus for twenty years now, it’s not like she’s going to stop just because she has a bit more cash than she used to. No thank you.

She has a lot of reasons why she rides the bus, and she doesn’t feel she has to justify them to anyone. As Oprah said, “No is a complete sentence.” Her favorite and most embarrassing reason happens to be one of the most attractive men she has ever seen.

Oliver Queen, CEO of Queen Consolidated.

Of course she doesn't tell anyone that she looks forward to his smiles. That would just be silly.

\--

One thing that Felicity never understands is people who can fall asleep on the bus. If she’s being honest, it gives her a bit of anxiety to find other bus-goers doze off. When she casually looks over to find Oliver asleep, she bites her lip and hopes that he wakes up himself. 

When they are a few stops from where Oliver usually gets off, Felicity steels herself and sits in the chair behind him. She taps him on the shoulder, quickly and lightly, but he doesn’t rouse at all. She pokes him a bit harder, pushing his shoulder forwards but he still doesn’t wake. So, she places her hand on his shoulder and shakes him. She tries to resist temptation, but ends up running her hand down his trapezius muscles. When she realizes he is looking at her expectantly she shakes herself out of her stupor and pulls her hand back quickly.

“Uhm, sorry to wake you up, because I mean you look really cute in your sleep, but it’s almost your stop and I didn’t want someone to be waiting up for you or something…” She trails off. She doesn’t actually want to know if he is unavailable.

“Thanks, Miss Smoak.”

As a knee jerk reaction, she says, “Felicity. Miss Smoak was my mother.” After realizing he knew her name, she says, “You know who I am?”

“Of course. I’ve been angling for your company to consolidate with us. You’ve done some great work, and Queen Consolidated would be lucky to have you in R&D.”

She stares. All these days, all the smiles he’s thrown her way and he knows not only who she is, but also what she does. How does she respond to that?

“Felicity?” Oliver asks tentatively.

“Sorry, what?”

Oliver looks slightly nervous, a look she would never have expected on him. “Would you like to do dinner?”

“Like a business dinner?” she says with a wary look.

“Not a business dinner, just a dinner between you and me,” he says with a smile. She's such a sucker for that smile.

“I think I'd like that.”

\--

For years to come, Felicity never tires of getting Oliver up, and she knows a few fun ways to wake him too.


	16. TV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver feels like shooting an arrow through his TV set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine your OTP has a small child who likes to watch television. Naturally, they gravitate towards (and only like) programs their parents can’t stand.

One of his daughter’s favorite things is watching television. They don’t always let her sit in from of the TV, encouraging her to play outside with her friends. So when she does, Oliver lets her pick anything (as long as it is child appropriate, of course). The problem, however, is that Eloise almost always picks things that Oliver can’t stand.

She always gravitates towards anything with Robin Hood.

Oliver finds himself internally criticizing the archers, cartoon and live action alike. Sometimes when he’s home, he doesn’t want to think about his night job. He doesn’t want to think about bows and arrows when things go wrong. It usually makes him want to shoot an arrow through their television set but he never has the heart to change the channel. The one and only time he did, she gave him the most heartbroken look.

Naturally, as a gifted tactician, Oliver decides to try something new.

It’s just past lunch time on a rainy day, as Oliver and Eloise sit on the couch watching yet another rendition of Robin Hood.

“Hey, baby, why do you always pick things with Robin Hood?” Oliver tries to ask carefully.

She gives him a smile as she says, “Because you shoot arrows, but you don’t have a TV show and you don't ever really shoot arrows at home, so I watch these other ones. One day _I_ want to be good at shooting arrows so I have to study.”

Out of all the responses, Oliver did not expect that one.

Eloise crawls into his lap and wraps her small arms around his neck, as she dejectedly says, “Do you not like the shows with bows and arrows?”

And though he wants desperately to say ‘ _N_ _o I don’t like watching theses shows with Robin Hood why don't you ever like to watch anything else_ ’, he settles for, “I was just curious.” He punctuates his sentence with a kiss and she brightens considerably.

The next day, he comes home with a child’s bow and arrow set and Eloise squeals. After that, she doesn’t watch so many Robin Hood shows, but when she does, he finds them a lot less annoying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was this? I don't know. Kidfics are addicting and I have a weak spot for daddy!Oliver. As always, I love your comments and please feel free to [prompt me](http://cellardoors-and-petrichor.tumblr.com/ask) sometime.


	17. Wuv, Twue Wuv

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anon asked: _You said to prompt so here. Felicity gets roped into trying on wedding dresses and finds the one... slight problem they aren't engaged yet so she freaks out._

Felicity blamed Thea.

Thea had been bridezilla ever since Roy got down on one knee. Regardless, everyone loved her and did her bidding. Which is why Felicity was here, at this ridiculously priced dress boutique downtown. It’s the kind of place that gives you champagne while you try on dresses that will cost thousands upon thousands of dollars. There was just one problem:

“Thea, how are you going to try on any of the dresses with a broken arm?” Felicity pointed out.

Moonlighting as a vigilante, Thea had broken her arm last night in a fight with drug traffickers.

“I’m not. You are,” Thea said matter of fact.

Felicity gaped, finding herself uncharacteristically at a loss of words for a few moments before she said, “Why?”

Thea looked her dead in the eye as she said, “The wedding dress is the most important part. How can I be expected to start planning my wedding without knowing what my dress looks like?”

“Thea, you got engaged _a week ago_.”

“So?” she said, “Now go up there Smoak and try on some dresses.”

And so Felicity went. She tried on all different types of dresses: sweetheart and v necklines; modern and vintage inspired; lacy and chiffon; sleeved and sleeveless. There was only one dress with cape sleeves and embroidery that Felicity hesitated on.

“When I get married, I think I’ll want something like [this](http://www.bridalguide.com/sites/default/files/slideshow-images/maggie-sottero-alvarez.jpg),” she said as she ran her hands down her front to smooth out imaginary creases. She looked in the mirror and was so enthralled that she didn’t notice the way Thea’s eyebrows shot up and the mischievous smile that lit up her face.

Thea cleared her throat, and feigned being tired. “I think we’re done for now. Can you bring the car around, Felicity?”

Felicity rolled her eyes and walked towards to Audi. Her back was turned when Thea handed the sales woman her black Amex.

\--

The next day, Oliver arrived at his office early and found his sister already in his office, sipping a coffee with a garment bag next to her.

“What’s this?” Oliver asked, pointing towards the bag.

“A dress. Have a look.”

Oliver pulled out the beautiful wedding dress and held it up to admire. He got a wistful smile on his face as he said, “This is gorgeous Thea. You are going to look lovely.”

“Oh this isn’t mine. It’s for a friend. Can I just keep it here?” She asked, and hung it up on the clothing rack that was definitely not in his office yesterday.

“Sure,” Oliver said warily.

“Thanks big brother, you’re the best,” Thea said before kissing his cheek and leaving quickly.

Oliver shook his head and got a head start on paperwork. He heard the click of Felicity’s heels but didn’t look up until he heard a mug crash on the floor, at which point he snapped his head up. Felicity was looking at him with wide eyes, like a deer caught in headlights. He walked around his desk to where she was and grounded her with the touch of an elbow. He then gave his girlfriend a kiss.

“Felicity, what’s wrong?” He gently pressed.

She looked panicked and at a loss for words. Her reticence made him feel tendrils of dread wisp from his stomach.

After a full minute, she gesticulated at the dress and said, “What’s that?”

“Thea asked me to keep her friend’s dress here,” Oliver replied, still concerned.

Instead of responding to him, Felicity dug her phone out of her purse and hit speed dial.

“Thea, you can’t just buy un-engaged people wedding dresses, let alone ridiculously expensive ones,” Felicity hissed through the phone.

Oliver couldn’t hear Thea’s reply, but his eyebrows shot up when Felicity replied, “When I said ‘when I get married’, that was a hypothetical point in the future.”

Felicity didn't even notice Oliver let go of her elbow as he walked over to his desk. In the second locked drawer down, underneath a ream of paper, he pulled out a small velvet box. He pocketed its contents and walked over to Felicity, who was still talking animatedly with his sister.

“No, Thea, you’d need a ring to be engaged,” she sighed.

Oliver took her left hand and slipped a ring on her finger. Felicity looked down and then at his serious expression.

“I’ll have to call you back,” she said distractedly, hanging up her phone. “What’s this?”

“My grandmother’s engagement ring,” he said.

“What’s this _doing on my finger_?”

“Well, you just said you need a ring to be engaged and now you have a ring,” he pointed out nonchalantly.

“Are you asking me to _marry you_?” Felicity said disbelievingly.

“That’s usually what engaged means right?” He said with a smile. He kissed her neck and her eyes fluttered closed. A shiver ran down her spine as he whispered, “Will you try the dress on for me?”

Felicity leant back and gave him a pointed luck before saying, “It’s unlucky to see the bride in her dress before the wedding. I do think maybe we need to see if the garter belt fits though…” Felicity said cheekily.

Oliver face lit up as he held her against him and kissed her indecently.

\--

If they happened to cancel all of their meetings to spend the day in bed, well – no one needed to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love your comments and please feel free to [prompt me](http://cellardoors-and-petrichor.tumblr.com/ask) sometime! I'd love to hear from you.
> 
> The dress:  
> 
> 
>  
> 
>   
> 


	18. Souls entwined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> melsanfo asked: _Soul mate/gray to color AU. Oliver is a recluse former soldier with PTSD. His downstairs neighbor who he's never met (Felicity) is a cello player. Her music filters through the vents daily and helps him with his panic attacks/nightmares. He doesn't hear music for a few days in a row so he gets worried and decides to leave his apartment for the first time in months to go check. What happens next it's up to you. Though a kiss like the hospital scene would be NICE! Thanks! ___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long! Be forewarned, this chapter is kind of angsty so if that's not your cup of tea, I suggest moving on.

His bed is too soft. When he wakes up drenched in sweat with the latest nightmare still fresh in his mind, he has taken to lying down on the floor. The hardwood planks help lower his body temperature as he stares at the ceiling. He’s still too much of a soldier to fit into civilian life. The commendation medal shoved in the back of his closet doesn’t make the honorable discharge sting any less.

It’s been too overwhelming, not that he’d admit it to anyone. He panicked when he found that if someone tried to wake him from a dream, he could kill them. He almost did so to his mother the first night back. Which is partially why he moved into his own apartment when he got sick of the looks his sister and mother would send him after particularly long, fitful nights.

He has locked himself away ever since, where he can’t hurt anybody. He gets groceries delivered, and Thea sometimes visits. Even though it’s not as bad as when he first returned, Oliver would admit that his nightmares still shake him. Some nights he gets the compulsion to wash his hands until the skin is raw. He’ll never be able to get Tommy’s blood off of them.

His saving grace is the girl next door. Though he’s never officially met his neighbor, he always feels relieved to hear her cello music. He’s never been so thankful for thin walls. It helps him slow his heart rate and anchors him in the present. He wishes she knew how much it means to him. Every time they bump into each other, they share a small smile. And though he doesn’t know her name, during his better nights he dreams about her.

Eventually he realizes that the warm feelings he associates with her music grow, day by day. He stills when he feels a pulse of calmness and a wisp of goodness. He never put much stock in the idea of a soulmate, and rarely did he ever resent not having one. Especially after the atrocities he had seen, he had been thankful not to tie anyone to the sinking ship that is him. His mouth runs dry at the idea that she could be his soul mate. Any joy associated with that notion is followed quickly by disappointment. She doesn’t deserve this – this mess that he calls his life. He hasn’t even left the apartment for months. He doesn’t fall back asleep that night.

And so he lives day by day, struggling along in his own personal hell.

By all accounts today is one of his better days: he slept five consecutive hours and ran through his rigorous exercise routine. He’s in the shower, warm water loosening his muscles. His eyes are closed, forehead resting on cool tiles. His zen is shattered when a sharp stab of distress pierces his chest. The raw emotion hurts.

But this isn’t his hurt, which only means that the girl next door is in trouble. He jumps out of the shower, taking just enough time to throw on a pair of sweatpants before he runs out of his apartment and breaks into hers. 

He is still dripping wet and shirtless as he sets into action. He neutralizes the man holding a gun at the woman on the couch. Oliver even registers what’s happening, until the chokehold slips the stranger into unconsciousness. He turns to Felicity. He shouldn’t know her name but he does. Somehow, he just knows. 

“Oliver?” She says between wet sobs.

“How did you know that?”

Felicity taps her head, “Your thoughts are so clear.”

Cold dread runs through his veins. It must show on his face because she walks over to him, and cradles his face in her shaking hands.

“Don’t. Don’t you dare try to apologize or to run away,” she says with conviction.

“I have nothing to offer you, Felicity. Nothing worth having, at least,” he says quietly.

“Never say something that stupid again. You have no idea, don’t you? You’ve made me so much stronger.” Offering no chance of reply, Felicity surges forward and kisses Oliver.

And for the first time in a long time, he feels like things might just eventually turn out okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Here](http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/index.asp) is some information regarding PTSD. If you think you or a loved one may have post-traumatic stress disorder, please see a mental health professional.
> 
> As always, I would sincerely appreciate any comments and feel free to [prompt me](http://cellardoors-and-petrichor.tumblr.com/ask) sometime! I'd love to hear from you.


	19. Baby monitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby monitors are bad for clandestine meetings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's more of the domestic fluff AU seen previously in Ch 7 (The Babysitter), Ch 8 (Dick Grayson), and Ch 16 (TV).

Oliver wakes uneasily when he hears a voice on the baby monitor in the nursery, but relaxes when the familiarity washes over him.

“ _Hello baby brother. I’m your big sister Eloise, but you can call me Ellie if you want when you get old enough to actually say stuff. You’re so tiny and I don’t want to break you because Mama said I can only hold you if I sit down on the couch. I just wanted to let you know that we have the coolest family in the whole world_.”

When he pads his way down the hall, he sees Eloise standing on a small step-stool looking down at her brother. She whispers about everyone from Uncle Diggle to Aunt Thea.

He’s standing just outside the nursery when he overhears his daughter saying, “And guess what!? We’re going to have a new cousin in a little while so you won’t be youngest anymore. I don’t know if it’s gonna be a girl or a boy but we’ll love them no matter what. And as for Mama and Daddy… Mama is really really smart. She can make computers do all sorts of stuff. And Daddy– well Daddy is the bravest man in the whole world. He helps fights bad guys and helps keep people safe.”

“Ellie?” Oliver finally says quietly, a little choked up, “you should be in bed. Say goodnight to your brother.”

“Night night, Thomas.” She leans over and presses a light kiss to his forehead. When Oliver picks her up she says, “Sorry, Daddy, I know I’m supposed to be in bed but I woke up and wanted to tell Thomas about our whole family. And I had an idea.”

“What’s that?” he says.

“We should call him Tommy,” she replies seriously as she searches his face for a reaction, just like her mother. He thinks about Tommy Merlyn for just a moment -- any more would hurt too much.

“I agree,” he decides as he tucks her in.

When he gets back into bed with his wife, he is surprised to find her twining herself around him, tangling their legs together.

“You okay?” she asks knowingly.

“Yeah. I’m good,” he says before giving her a lazy, sleepy kiss. His one hand traces her spine, running smoothly down along the silk nightgown and up the bottom to find a distinct lack of underwear. After six weeks of waiting, Oliver is more than ready to be reacquainted with his wife.

Felicity breaks off the kiss before looking him seriously in the eye and saying, “If you get me pregnant again so soon, you will regret it.”

Oliver smiles as he holds himself over her body and says, “I can work with that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you can all tell I'm rusty, but let me know what you think! I have no idea if anyone actually likes this universe so please let me know what you think in the comments. As always, feel free to [prompt me](http://cellardoors-and-petrichor.tumblr.com/ask) sometime.


End file.
